Summer Dreams Ripped At The Seams
by TakeBackTheFalls
Summary: After Mabel ruins their chances at spending another summer at Gravity Falls, an unforgiving Dipper pushes her out of his life as Mabel struggles to accept responsibility and fix her mess
1. Screw Up

**I don't even own this laptop-**

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The kids chorused in laughter and cheer as the final bell of the school year rang. The bright blue sky was practically on it's hands and knees, begging everyone to throw themselves out the classroom window and roll in the grass. Or...maybe that was just Mabel.

Mabel bounced in her seat with excitement. Today, her face was going a _million_ smiles per hour. In three days, it was goodbye California and hello second summer spent at Gravity Falls! But this time, with no Bill to bother them. Dipper and herself had been going on and on about everything they were going to do.

Dipper wanted to do boring poop-head things like discover more mysteries, but Mabel wanted to roll in some more grass and let Gompers reunite with Waddles.

"Have a nice summer!" Ms. Harrison, a small chubby middle aged woman, saluted the students a fair well.

The girl hopped off her seat, pouring her glittery pens into her backpack for the last time.

Mabel pulled a rubber band off her wrist and wrapped her hair in a bun, tying it up to withstand the California heat. Dipper was in a different homeroom, but she just knew he was waiting for him by the water fountain.

"Miss Pines?"

Mabel perked up at the sound of her teacher's voice. "What's up, Shelby?"

"Don't call me Shelby." Ms. Harrison sighed, "It's about your thesis on Darwin's Theory on Evolution."

Mabel scrunched her eyebrows up, "Dar...huh?"

"You didn't do it, did you?" Ms. Harrison said in a monotone, obviously not surprised by Mabel's lack of effort.

Mabel shrugged, "Oh well."

Ms. Harrison sighed again, a sound continuously used when talking to her, "Mabel, that assignment was worth thirty points on your average."

 _What's an average?_ Mabel wanted to ask, but she'd hate to come off as unintelligent.

"That means, you have summer school."

Mabel's face turned cold at those words. _Summer school. No, no, no, this summer she was supposed to be going to Gravity Falls._

"C-Can't we, reschedule summer school?" Mabel asked nervously, "I'm going on a very important trip."

"You should've thought of that before you decided that you were too important for my class." Ms. Harrison retorted, handing her an envelope to give to her parents with the news. The teacher hobbled away, leaving Mabel in the deserted classroom.

Mabel couldn't move. The trip she was waiting for all summer was ruined. And it was all her fault.

The classroom lights dimmed, as did her spirits. The lonely child titled her neck up to prevent any tears do glide down her face.

"What am I going to tell Dipper?" She asked aloud.

Dipper and Mabel walked home together, as they always did. Dipper talked the entire time, chirping and fantasizing over their second magical summer in their favorite place town.

"I was thinking Soos and I could make sling-shots with your training bra, and we can have a tournament with Stan and Ford. That sounds fun right?" Dipper nudged her.

"Yeah..." Mabel mumbled. It sounded amazing. The real Mabel would've jumped ten feet in the air at the idea, she enjoyed using her under garments as weapons. If only she could...

Dipper practically shot through the door once they arrived, "I'm going to start packing!" He said with a smile, running up the stairs. Mabel leaned against the door frame and groaned.

"Hey, Mabel!" Her father greeted her with open arms. Mabel didn't budge. The girl frowned and pulled an envelope out of her sweater.

"I have summer school." She admitted. Mr. Pines scanned her teacher's announcement, his eyes narrowed as his pupils moved left to right.

"Hmmmm...mmm...mhmmm..." He muttered, "Uh, why don't we meet at the living room with your mother?"

Hand in hand, Mabel and Mr. Pines walked into the living room, finding Ms. Pines knitting a blanket. Mabel liked to think she inherited her love of arts 'n crafts from her mother, as they were both very talented at it.

The baby-blue blanket was almost complete, it draped over her lap. "Hey sweet-hearts" she said, not looking up from her knitting, "Excited for your trip?"

Mabel winced at her poor choice of words. "Actually..."

Mr. Pines handed his wife the letter, allowing her to skim over it.

"Oh my..." was all she could say. Mabel pulled away from her father, belly flopping on the nearest bean bag next to the couch. "Can I please go to Gravity Falls instead?"

"I'm sorry, pumpkin. Your education is more important, you can't go to Gravity Falls this year." Mr. and Ms. Pines sat together on the couch, rereading the letter a few more times.

"But school in the summer? Why would you do that do me?" She cried, tears sliding down her red nose.

"You did this to yourself" Her father snapped, "Why couldn't you do your assignment?"

Mabel flushed, twirling a loose piece of hair around her fingers. She never forgot about the assignment. She tried her hardest, but she simply wasn't smart enough. It was a terrible thing to think about herself, but she couldn't help was repeat the phrase over and over. She got summer school for Pete's sake.

Mabel settled with a shrug, mortified by how her biggest insecurity was going to cost her the entire summer.

"I guess that means Dipper can't go either." Her mother said.

Mabel's eyes shot open, "Woah woah, what? Why is Dipper getting punished?"

"He's not getting punished!" Mr. Pines held his arms up, trying to calm her down. "We can't just let him go alone, it wouldn't be right. Dipper would get lonely."

"That's stupid!" Mabel shouted, "Dipper has plenty of friends in Gravity Falls, why do you have to bring him down because of me?"

"Do not talk back to your father!" Her mother's expression turned cold as she snapped. Mabel huffed and crossed her arms, fluttering her damp eyelashes.

Sniffling, Mabel tried her hardest to explain herself but was cut off when both her parents called her brother's name.

Mabel gasped, "Mom, you really don't have to-"

"What's up?" Dipper hopped down the stairs, a temporary smile painted on his face. His eyes were shining, like he just heard a funny joke. "I was just packing for the trip, Grunkle Ford is going to freak when he sees my new project."

The edges of Dipper's mouth turned downwards as he scanned his kin. His sister was pale, her usually rosy cheeks now chalk white at the sight of his optimistic face.

"What's wrong?"

Mabel's stomach tightened. Lowering her gaze toward her shoes, she grabbed the ends of her hair and intertwined them in her fingers.

Mr. Pines released a long sigh, "We...well we're going to have to, I think it's best if we-" their father faltered, never being comfortable with being the giver if bad news.

"You guys aren't going to Gravity Falls this summer." Ms. Pines ripped the band aid off immediately.

Dipper body tensed up at the words, his face growing pale. "Wh-what?"

Ice ran through Mabel's veins, shaking her small frame as she embraced her legs. She just had to stay quiet and look as shocked as he did. He couldn't think she had anything to do with it, it'll only make his mood worse.

"Dipper," his father said cautiously, "I'm so sorry-"

"WHY NOT?" Dipper yelled, his shaky voice startling them all. "You said...you...you promised! I can't, why would-" he paced around the room frantically, his breathing increasing alarmingly. Dipper's eyes had grown puffy, like his own eyes were absorbing the tears. His voice grew higher louder and more shrill with every word.

Mabel gripped her knees, clenching her teeth tighter to imprison her choking sobs. She messed up Dipper's entire summer, all because she was lazy.

Mrs. Pines turned her attention toward Mabel, her eyes flashing with disappointment, "Mabel, would you like to explain this to your brother?"

Mabel shrunk, grimacing as she felt the heavy silence she was trying so hard to avoid. Dipper gave her a quizzical look through his tearful mask, probably asking himself why Mabel knew about this before he did.

 _Wondering what she could've possibly done wrong._

"Mabel?" His small voice broke down her walls, allowing her unwanted sobs to escape.

"D-D-Dipper-" Tears puddled under her eyes as she trembled, "It's my fault..." her confession cut through her throat, rocks filling her lungs.

Dipper's posture straightened with concern, "W-What do you mean? Mom, Dad, what is she talking about?"

"Mabel..." Her mother gave her a stern look, pushing her where she didn't want to fall.

"I got summer school, Dipper." Once the wound is open, you had to let it bleed, "It's my fault."

All Dipper could do was stare at her, possibly the worst thing he could do. His expression morphed from shocked, to sad, to betrayed. Until finally, it settled onto furious.

"Are you kidding me?" He threw his hands up in the air, exasperated, "We had one more day, one more day until we finally got to see our great uncles again and you screwed it up! All because you weren't smart enough to handle a simple assignment!"

"Dipper!" His father warned, cautious of his sister's feelings.

"No! I am not going to sugar coat this, this was going to be the second best summer ever, and you ruined it! You ruin everything!"

Mabel could feel herself falling apart under every word. This couldn't be happening, he's never hated her _this much_ before.

"Apologize right now!" Ms. Pines commanded.

"NO!" Dipper looked Mabel right in the eye, "Mabel has been ruining everything left and right, and I'm always the one that has to be the first to apologize! She is always seen as Little Miss Innocent and I have to be the shoulder she cries on, but the truth is she only cares about herself!"

Mabel took a shaky gasp and stood up. Her cheeks heated up, coated with glossy tears. Her chest heaved with every breath as she stared at her brother with disbelief. Dipper shot daggers, his fists clenched.

"The one time it actually counts, the one time it matters, you mess it up! Why do you have to be so selfish?" He spewed is last bits of venom at his twin before she ran upstairs, her sweater sleeve covering her eyes.

She couldn't see anything. Nothing but the sleeve of her sweater and outline of the stairs. Her footsteps slammed against the ground like thunder as she stormed into her room, praying the floor wouldn't fall through. She felt thick trails of warm disgusting water fly off her cheeks.

Fighting exhaustion, Mabel threw herself onto the nearest bed and let it out. Her eyes damped the thin blanket supporting her, pressing against her face as if trying to pour tears back in.

Mabel screamed, her voice muffled against the fabric. She screamed until her lungs strained in her neck, until her body shook with weakness.

 _Stupid_

 _Selfish_

 _Lazy_

Everything she knew was true, spat right in her face by her own twin brother.

She was the one who failed, not him. It's not fair that he had to be left behind because she wasn't smart.

Mabel pulled her face out of the bed, her cheeks burning. Out of place hairs stuck under her eyes. She blinked them away, sniffing wetly as she looked down. Gazing away from her fingers, she noticed blue fabric underneath them. Her blankets weren't blue...

She stood up in horror, this was Dipper's bed.

 _Dipper._

His words echoed in her mind, each flaw of hers called out. And in front of her parents.

The stress plummeted upon her shoulders as she threw herself back onto his mattress. She sniffed his blankets. They smelt like baby wipes and sweat, but all she could do was sniff harder. She knew he'd never talk to her again, Gravity Falls meant so much to him. He was so elated to have been able to return for another summer.

To bad dreams die.

"I'm sorry..." Mabel whispered into his fabric, her face becoming blotchy and red. "I'm sorry, Dipper..."

Tears swam down her cheeks, leaving tracks of dry skin from the makeup they wiped off, "I really am a screw up, am I?" she said.

The walls closed in on her as she clutched the blanket tighter. She didn't want to be a screw-up, her stupidity was just inevitable.

 _It's just how it had to be..._

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 **Hope you liked this chapter. I have plans for it...  
Don't forget to vote for Gravity Falls in the Kids Choice Awards so we can break Spongebob's streak :D**


	2. The Mute Button

**Spongebob Squarepants? More like Spongebob UNFAIRpants! BWHAHAHAHA! I stole that from Alex's twitter, sorry for being terrible.**

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It was nine am in California, the sky a neon shade of blue that personally made Dipper nauseous. His parents were in the kitchen, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the entire family to idly snack on. Mabel was still upstairs, locked up in their bedroom doing God knows what.

Dipper sat on the large velvet couch in front of the television, a thick fountain pen gripped tightly in his sweaty hands and a scrap piece paper on the coffee table. His own absence in Gravity Falls killed him, especially since he was already so mentally prepared to see his favorite great uncles. Stan and Ford would've greeted him with open arms the moment he stepped foot off that bus, if only...

Unable to see them in the flesh, Dipper figured he'd write to them. He knew they were probably busy now that they don't need to make room for them, but if he was lucky they might write back.

 _Dear Stan and Ford,_

 _I miss you! As you guys probably know, we aren't coming to Gravity Falls this year and I'm really sad about it._

Understatement of the year. Dipper was devastated. He'd been counting down on his calendar every day since the first day of school, bouncing in his seat as he waited.

 _Well, maybe a lot more than just sad. I'm being held down by a dumbbell underwater, and every time I try to swim upwards it just keeps dragging me down because we're attached._

Dipper clicked his pen, _was that too catty?_ He ran his hands through his tangled hair and sighed.

 _I hope you guys had lots of fun on your sailing trip. I wish I could hear about it in person, but I suppose not everything goes the way we plan. Sometimes things get screwed up._

Dipper bit the end of his writing utensil, his ideas blocked for a next sentence. He wondered if he should include Mabel in his letter.

 _You already addressed her indirectly_ he reminded himself. Dipper stared at the near blank page. _They might want to know how she was doing as well_ , he pestered himself, playing devil's advocate.

After a moment of consideration, Dipper vetoed his previous idea. It was _his_ letter, his own. He didn't need Mabel in his letter, Mabel could write her own letter. If he included his twin, it would be as if they were sharing a letter, and frankly he was tired of sharing. They shared everything. Rooms, schools, punishments.

 _California certainly isn't as exciting as Gravity Falls_. His chest ached as he wrote those words, recalling all those mysteries and paranormal beings he discovered in Oregon. _I would much rather be with you guys. With Wendy and Soos. I miss my room in the attic. I miss Stancakes. I miss obsessing over the mysterious journals I found in the most eerie part of the forest._ Dipper's eyes started getting misty as he scribbled on the paper, torturing himself as he repeated everything he was going to miss out on.

He took a shaky gasp, wiping under his eyes just in case his emotions wanted to give him a rude surprise.

"This sucks." He huffed.

A pair of footsteps clumped down the staircase, giving each step a chance to release an ominous creak before moving to the next.

Dipper swiftly grabbed the letter and shoved it under the couch cushion. He slouched lower into his seat, trying to look as non-suspicous as possible.

"Dipper?" The unsure voice of Mabel Pines called out softly from his left.

Dipper winced internally. Remembering the incident that occurred just the night before only provoked his feelings again. He stared straight ahead; Looking at her would only make him fall apart.

Trying to release Gravity Falls from his mind, he narrowed his eyes at the television in hopes that if he focused hard enough her voice would disappear.

Mabel observed his cold behavior, sinking her spirits even further. She heard him last night on the top bunk, sniffling and trying to calm himself before he went to sleep.

"Dipper." Mabel repeated. She spoke quickly, practically bouncing with anxiety. He could tell she was nervous when her eyebrows fluttered quickly. The faster she blinked, the more anxious, and right now her eyelashes flapped like butterfly wings. "We really need to talk about what happened. Mom says-"

Dipper sunk deeper into his chair, wrecking balls swinging in his head as his sister talked. Thinking about Gravity Falls hurt, being in California hurt, talking to his sister hurt, like being dipped in lava without being able to die.

He raised his hands to his temples, stress piling upon his shoulders. Fire ran through his veins like blood, leaving his body emotionally exhausted. Mabel kept talking, her voice softer than her usual energetic screams, but Dipper heard nothing but the loud throbbing in his head. It was too much, all of it.

Finally, he held up his palm and aimed it at her, his thumb wiggling over it.

Mabel frowned deeper, "What are you-"

"Boop-" Dipper tapped his palm with his thumb, pretending it was a remote and having just hit the mute button.

Mabel narrowed her eyes at his, her posture tightening. "Dipper Pines, did you just _mute me_?" she spoke through gritted teeth, fists shaking as she sunk it in. This was an on going thing the two would do when finding themselves in a quarrel. While one was speaking, the other would use an invisible remote to mute the other, ignoring them for the rest of the day. However, Dipper rarely used the mute gimmick. He was a forgiving person, always eager to make up with his sister. Even Mabel knew Dipper would only pull that immature move if he _really_ was angry.

Dipper yawned, not bothering to even look in her direction. The only indication that revealed Dipper knew she existed was the light shade of pink glowing on his cheeks. He put his feet on the coffee table, closing his eyes like he'd been asleep for hours.

Mabel shook her head slowly with disbelief. "Wow." She took a deep breath, "Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow..." The girl marched toward the door, stretching her 'ooo's' out the entire walk. "Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow" she continued, slamming the door angrily behind her.

Dipper's eyes snapped open, still hearing her droning "Wow" trail off from behind the door. He pulled the letter from under the cushion. He held the piece of paper against his chest and sighed.

The girly brunette plopped herself on the sidewalk directly in front of her house, the cold cement soaking her thin skirt. Mabel pulled a small pink sharpie out of her sweater pocket and colored her nails furiously, tongue sticking out with concentration.

 _He'll be fine_ , she convinced herself, scribbling on her thumb, _he's never been able to stay mad at you longer than an afternoon._

Mabel took a shaky breath. The pink sharpie dragged itself over her skin as her hands started to vibrate.

She wished she could take it all back. What Dipper didn't understand was this was hurting her too.

But she had no one to pour her heart out onto. She could identify that her parents sided with Dipper, they always gaped and cooed whenever he brought home an A. Her parents valued his intellect, there's no way for them not to sympathize with Dipper.

No one would want to ask about her side of the story, she didn't have anyone to relate to when it came to school.

She didn't even have a brother anymore.

But everything was all stupid now.

"Kids, get your sandwiches!" The muffled call of her mother rang in her ears. Mabel gripped her legs in her arms.

"Not hungry." She whispered. Mabel counted to five, knowing how impatient her mother becomes when waiting.

"MABEL! SANDWICHES! NOW!" Mabel jumped.

"Coming!" Mabel scurried into the house like a squirrel, nearly smashing into the doorknob. When she finally arrived, everyone was already sitting in the living room, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches held up to their mouths. Her mother had a tupperware of freshly made sandwiches on her lap.

"Well, glad you could _finally_ join us." Ms. Pines said, her voice drenched with sarcasm.

Mabel threw her head back and groaned, "Come on, it took me twenty seconds to get here." she defended herself, reaching over her mother's lap and grabbing half a sandwich. Dipper slouched on the over sized yellow beanbag directly next to the green couch. He chewed his snack noisily, making smacking sounds with his lips the way he always did when in a hurry.

Mabel bit into her food, her eyes sinking into Dipper's.

"So Mabel, you're starting summer school tomorrow, is that right?" Mr. Pines asked.

Mabel blushed at her father's question, "I can't believe it has to start a few days after the last day for school" she buried her sandwich in her mouth, reaching for another one to cram in.

"Sorry sweetie. At least it won't last forever."

"Yeah, right." Mabel scoffed, crumbs shooting out of her mouth.

Dipper sunk deeper into the bean bag, his head tilted up and their ceiling and a scowl plaster on his face. Mrs. Pines looked at him, concerned. "Dipper, you barely touched your sandwich."

"I have a canker sore on my tongue and I don't want to anger it." Dipper responded irritably, his gaze not leaving the sky.

Mabel smiled, "No way, me too!" She stuck out her tongue for Dipper to see, "I goth ith last weekth whenth Brithtany handed dout cupcaketh!"

Dipper pursed his lips, lowering his eyes down towards his lap.

Mabel swiftly slid her tongue back into her mouth like a frog, slumping her shoulders at his lack of response. He's never taken the 'muting' thing so far before, no matter how frustrated he's gotten.

Mabel cleared her throat, suddenly unable to find her appetite, "Actually, I think I'm going to go upstairs for a bit." she stuffed her hands into her pockets and walked toward the staircase, occasionally looking back at her family. When they gave no reaction, she slowly hauled herself up the stairs.

"Too awkward." She said to no one, grimacing at herself. Mabel trudged into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her.

"So awkward!" She said to her reflection, a little louder. "He's not mad at me, he just misses Gravity Falls." She pulled off her sweater, "He's just...taking it out on me."

She turned on the water in the bathtub, watching the water fill up the tub as she yanked off her skirt. "He'll get over it."

Mabel lowered herself into the water, not flinching when the icy liquid hit her skin for the first time. Mabel put her hands over her chest, her eyes stinging as they started to water. She submerged herself under the water, looking up at ceiling.

She was always fascinated by how things above looked underwater. It was as if she was looking through an interdimensional portal, and she knew a lot about portals.

Mabel raised her finger to gently tap the point in which the skies and the seas met. Her hair flew around her, floating haphazardly around the tub. Her lungs felt like they were growing smaller, but she didn't care. She loved the cool sensation the freezing water gave to her face, making it tingle.

Her mischievous hair floated over her eyes, breaking her trance. _Stupid hair_. Mabel tried desperately to wave it away, flailing her hands around her beautiful curly locks. All it did was create bubbles, probably spilling water onto the floor.

Mabel sucked her lips into mouth, _Why was he taking too long to get over it?_

She could feel her fingers pruning up as she soaked the water in, but she didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay in the cold breathless paradise forever. An escape from reality.

Mabel shifted in her tub, noticing something was a little off. She heard the small sound of water splashing against the.

Oh no! Mabel shot upwards, her wet hair flipping over her face The Little Mermaid style. Water from the tub spewing out of it's container and onto the floor, splashing loudly like waves.

"I left the faucet running!" Mabel slapped her wet forever. "STUPID!" She quickly stopped the water and buried her face into her knees. Water flooded around her, roaring loudly as it splashed against the tile. "Stupid stupid stupid!"

Giving up, she flatted her postures and threw herself back underwater, scolding herself as she watched the bubbles float to the surface.

 **Sorry for any spelling mistakes, I'm in a hurry. Happy Saint Patty's Day!**


	3. Face Time Advice

**_I'M LATE AND I HAVE NO EXCUSE!_**

 ** _I fell into Hamilton hell, and I had to feed that obsession. I started writing this chapter in March, and now I started it again in almost June. Sorry for a lazy chapter. This will mainly focus on Dipper. Because this is so last minute there will be typos I PROMISE. Enjoy! Best of Wives and best of Women!_**

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Mrs. Pines punched haphazard letters into her brand new laptop, allowing the steam of her mug of coffee wake her up. Transferring emails with the twins' grandmother was proven to be more stressful than writing a six page essay on global warming. Whenever she'd put so much work into typing a long 618 word greeting, her mother would respond with a lazy "K."

Rubbing her temple, Mrs. Pines' fingers hovered over the 'f' key when a robotic bleep erupted from the computer.

 _'You have a facetime request from:_  
 _Wendy Corduroy'_ the screen read.

Mrs. Pines squinted her eyes. She didn't recall knowing a Wendy.

 _Must be one of Dipper or Mabel's friends_ she assumed. Cupping her hands around her lips, she screamed "Kids! A 'Wendy Corduroy' wants to face time with you!"

It was quiet at first, no sign of response to her message. Ms. Pines parted her lips, prepared to call out again when all of a sudden the sound of two elephants falling down the stairs rang in her ears.

"DID YOU SAY WENDY?" Dipper catapulted in front of his mother, heaving between every word. His hair stuck up in all directions, having just woken up a few moments ago.

Mrs. Pines raised an eyebrow at him, "I'm assuming she's one of your-"

"WENDY? OHMAGOOOOOSH!" Mabel was next, bumping into her brother's backside. Dipper uncomfortably stepped forth away from his sister, still not awknowledging her existence.

"I'll take that, thank you very much." Dipper extended his hand towards the computer. He knew he'd never see her in the flesh for another year, at least he'd be able to see her face on a screen.

"How do you know it's not for me?" Mabel barked harshly, not meeting Dipper's eyes. "Wendy loves me!" Mabel's first day of summer school was today, so unlike her twin she was no longer wearing her pajamas.

Mrs. Pines winced, there was no way these two would reach an agreement. "Now listen here."

Dipper and Mabel looked up at her, their hands quivering with anticipation.

"You two can take turns. I will pick!" Suddenly, the mother's laptop was snatched from her lap, and as a gust of wind passed her both kids were gone.

"CHEATER!" Mabel ran after her brother, chasing him up the steep wooden stairs of their house. Laptop held against his chest, Dipper sprinted into his room. His legs growing heavier and heavier as he ran. Once he made it to his destination, Dipper slammed their bedroom door before Mabel could get her hands on it. Locking it up, Dipper quickly dragged his fingers through hair in an effort to make himself presentable for his ex-crush.

"DIPPER OPEN UP!" Mabel repeatedly slammed clenched fists against the door, grunting with exhaustion and frustration. "I WANT TO TALK TO WENDY TOO!" Her banging only grew louder, up the point where Dipper was scared she was trying to smash through.

Dipper could feel small beads of sweat forming around his birthmark, despite the Pines' air conditioner being on full blast. Opening his mouth to say something, he realized speaking to his sister would be a violation of their 'mute button' rule, so he decided against it.

Mabel heaved, also exhausted from the race she had with Dipper to get upstairs. As she heard the gentle clicking of her brother's fingers typing the password to the laptop, she knew it was too late.

Mabel's face grew red. Maybe from the heat? The running? The guilt.

She felt like she was going to fall over as she recalled what day it was. Summer school. Mabel looked down at her body, almost surprised she wasn't wearing a brightly colored sweater. A black tee shirt. And jeans. Boring.

Mabel huffed at her drooping, eye-invading bangs, reminder her she forgot to wear a headband.

"It'll do." Mabel muttered softly, making her way back downstairs for a last minute breakfast. Then she'd be gone.

Dipper wiped the sweat from his forehead, inhaling and exhaling deeply before opening up FaceTime. He sat down on their bedroom floor, his posture straight and legs crossed. Girls dig that.

Wendy's face appeared on the screen, her flannel decorated livingroom behind her camouflaged perfectly with her red flannel shirt.

"Hey doofus!"

"WENDY!" Dipper yelped a little too loudly into the camera.

Wendy let out the small chuckle Dipper wished he could hear in the flesh, "I'm chatting with you because I saw that you wrote Stan and Ford a letter. Not cool, dude."

Dipper felt heat travel up to his cheeks, "S-S-Sorry. I wanted to write to you, I just-"

"No dude, I meant that you wrote them _a letter_!" she shuddered like saying the word 'letter' was equivalent to having ice cubes poured down your pants, "We have technology for a reason, man."

Dipper chuckled nervously for an uncomfortable amount amount of time, "Ha ha, good one." The brunette bit his lip, desperate to change the topic. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Can we talk about those Star Wars pajamas first?" Wendy chuckled, her eyes lowered at his shirt.

Dipper gave a half hearted laugh, his cheeks turning red as he crossed his arms over the Star Wars slogan. "About something serious."

Wendy allowed her lips to part, shoving a stick of gum into her mouth before nodding her head.

"When was the last time you got pissed off at someone? Like, _really_ pissed off at someone?"

Wendy shot up like a puppy watching a mailman walk by, "Oh, you have no idea! Yesterday, Robbie stole my muffin!"

"I mean, about something major..."

Wendy allowed her posture to morph back into her natural slouch, "Oh. Well, no actually."

Dipper's frown thickened, "I need some advice."

"About...?"

"Well, Mabel got summer school and now we can't go to Gravity Falls."

Wendy sucked her teeth with sympathy, "Aww, dude."

"Yeah, and it was all because she didn't do a stupid assignment!" Dipper's voice grew louder with each word, "I wouldn't be mad if she couldn't help it, but all she had to do was do a project! Is it really that hard?"

Wendy scrunched her thin lips into an 'o' shape, allowing a pink bubble to expand like a ballon. They both jumped as it blew up in her face. "As an expert on laziness, I can confirm that she was being pretty lazy. But I'm sure if Mabel thought about the fact she could get both of you in trouble, I'm sure she would've-"

"That's exactly my point! Mabel never _thinks_ about what could happen next. She never thinks about the dumb choices she's making, she thinks she can do whatever she wants without suffering!" Dipper spewed at the laptop.

Wendy's eyebrows sprouted up, "Woah Dipper, let it out bro!" She seemed almost entertained at Dipper's rage.

"And I don't know how to react."

Wendy nodded her head slowly, and Dipper could tell she was genuinely interested about the conversation. That struck him with relief, because as much as he loved Wendy, she's one to under react.

"Forgive your sister, bro." She gnawed on her stick of bubblegum, "You guys were goals, no need to throw that away because of homework."

Dipper sighed, "It's not just about the homework, Wendy. It's about her as a person and her lack of commitment. When she gets to college, is she just going to 'not do things' every time she gets disinterested?"

Wendy blinked, unable to find the knowledge Dipper needed to get through this in her head. It was all so confusing. "Just talk." She decided, knowing it wasn't the best advice, but starting from square one would help.

Dipper sighed, careful to hide the disappointment in his eyes. He had expected a revolutionary answer that would work for both of them, but all he got was a recycled tip.

Talk.

But Dipper didn't want to talk.

"Hey, Wendy?" Dipper's voice went soft, "You have siblings, do you ever wish you were...you know."

Wendy's pupils wondered toward her blanket. She understood what he meant completely, and she hated it. A tingling protectiveness for Mabel bubbled inside of her as she answered. "I know what you're saying, but don't be so harsh. Where would you be without Mabel?"

Dipper bit his bottom lip, then yelped at how much it hurt. Wendy reached into her mouth and pulled out her gum, intertwining it between her fingers.

The two stared at each other, Wendy smiling and Dipper frowning. _This was supposed to be helping_ , Dipper thought to himself, _why isn't it?_

"Do you still have my hat I gave you?" Wendy shouted, causing Dipper to jump back.

"Uh, yeah. I think so. Be right back." He rose himself up from the sweaty carpet floor and walked towards the giant toy chest at the foot of his bed. To his surprise, her infamous hat was right on top, next to Mabel's blue haired troll doll.

"Found it!" He threw himself back onto the floor, the hat loosely placed on his matted hair. Wendy had already put Dipper's Pine Tree trucker hat on before he even stood up.

They both shared a laugh for the first time since last summer.

"I miss you." Wendy said, surprisingly casually, as if she simply just said 'The sun is out today.'

Dipper flushed, "I-I miss you too."

Wendy flicked the bubblegum back into her mouth, chewing it savagely like an animal. "But seriously, don't bite Mabel's head off for it. By the way, where is that little gremlin."

"Oh.." Dipper scratched his neck, "She's probably at summer school."

Wendy smiled, "Okay cool, time apart. Go to the pool, make a smoothie, chill. You'll be seeing less and less time with her this summer, that'll give you some time to think."

Dipper slowly nodded, not wanting to hurt her feelings. He just didn't want to talk to Mabel.

"Thanks."

"Anytime. Listen, just should probably go. Stay cool?"

Dipper gave her a thumbs up, "That won't be hard for me, heh heh..."

Wendy rolled her eyes, a smirk plastered on her pretty freckled face. "Okay, cocky. Don't be stupid." She winked at her younger friend and closed her laptop, leaving Dipper by himself trying to compute what just happened...

* * *

 **OAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, that was so short. Sorry. But I'm happy I'm back. Character development for the Pine Twins coming up. Bai, hopefully I won't take a million years to write another chapter again, amirite?**


	4. Ditch

**_IT'S BEEN SO LOOONG! Sorry to keep you waiting, and sorry for typos. Not my characters. Enjoy._**

* * *

"Can I talk to Wendy when I get home?"

Mabel sat in the backseat, her legs swinging from the edge. Her dreadful unicorn backpack, the one she was excited about burning in the fireplace once school ended, sat next to her. It's the end of June, she shouldn't even come into _contact_ with school supplies. The only things she should touch in the summer is sand, sweat, water balloons, and popsicles.

"Sure, I'm sure she'll be happy to speak to you, whoever she is." Her father ran a read light. "Whoops," he chuckled nervously. Mrs. Pines was the one that usually drove them around. He made a sharp turn, causing the backpack to brush against Mabel's side. Mabel punched it away from her.

Mabel didn't understand why they were driving to school, the building was _walking distance_ away from their home. Of course her father almost never took her to school, he was oblivious to a lot of things that happened in the Pines household because of his hefty work. She didn't want to drive, driving would get them there faster.

"Relax, Mabes. Summer School might even be better than regular school."

Mabel groaned, "No, I'll have to deal with all the dumb kids."

"Mabel." Her father snapped.

"Well ex _cuuu_ UU _uu_ U _u_ U _uus_ e me but it's true!" Mabel threw her hands up in the air, exasperated, "And I'll be mixed in with them. Do you know what that makes me?"

"An amazing girl that got distracted from a pro-"

"A DUMB KID!" Mabel interrupted.

The car came to a sudden stop, jerking Mabel forwards in her seat. "MABEL!" Mr. Pines bellowed, "YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO SCREAM WHILE SOMEONE IS DRIVING, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS?" He took a deep breath and slowly started the car again.

Mabel shrunk in her seat, her cheeks turning dark red. Her father never snapped like that before, especially not at her. She was supposed to be the good kid, and now she was getting scolded. "Great, so now everyone hates me."

Mr. Pines exhaled deeply through his nose, "No one hates you, Mabel."

"Dipper does," Mabel snapped, "And honestly he is taking this way too far."

Mr. Pines shrugged, "Well, you did cost him a summer in Gravity-"

 _"YOU'RE ON HIS SIDE?_ "

The car stopped again.

"Mabel Pines, your behavior the last couple of days has been absolutely atrocious."

Mabel knitted her eyebrows, _what does atrocious mean? Is that a vegetable?_

"The biggest flaw you have is that you never take responsibility for the things that you do. If you really wanted to make up with Dipper you would own up to it instead of acting like a child. There are things you could do to make this better instead of playing the victim! You're not the only person in the world that gets affected by things, you have to deal with the consequences without whining!"

Mabel was taken aback. She could feel her heart beating in her throat, she could hardly breathe. Her father never spoke to her like that, ever. She was supposed to be his precious little girl.

She couldn't speak if she wanted to, her hands shook as her father went silent.

She could tell her father felt awkward about it too. He sighed loudly, deflating his puffed cheeks as he came to a stop in front of a familiar brick building. "So ummm...have fun?" He cringed at himself.

Mabel aggressively snatched her backpack and opened the car door. "Do me a favor," she growled, "and ask _mom_ if she could pick me up?" She slammed the car door, trudging into her least favorite place in the world besides slaughter houses.

She already knew what room she belonged in, 206, same as her homeroom. She dragged her backpack on the floor, her back hunched until she realized she had been crying. "My face! Uggh, no one can see me like this!" The brunette raced to the bathroom, her shoes hitting the ground made a loud booming noise. She bashed through the bathroom door.

"Just as a suspected..." Mabel pointed at herself accusingly in the mirror like she was an undercover cop, "Mabel, the jury has pronounced you guilty of a blotchy red face and puffy eyes."

"No please!" She made her reflection say, "I'm innocent!"

"You have the right to remain silent!" Mabel retorted back.

The brunette giggled at herself, smiling for the first time all day. Mabel swiped her hand under the paper towels, pulling one out and wetting it with the sink's faucet. She rubbed it under her eyes, trying to remove her dark bags.

Deciding that was no use, Mabel rubbed haphazardly all over her face until it was dripping. "Okay," she whispered to herself, "I'm done, all I have to do it get in there." She put a finger to her chin, "Unless...I don't." She smiled to herself, "I can just stay in here all day. Here is perfect, I have my backpack with my lunch inside, I have a toilet, I could stay in here forever!"

Mabel rubbed her hands together like a villain, "They'll just assume I'm sick, it's perfect!" She hoisted herself upon the edge of the sink, "Just me hanging out all day."

And that's where she stayed alone, for half an hour. Mabel leaned her head against the mirror, drifting asleep until a vaguely familiar red head barged into the bathroom. Mabel squinted at her, maybe she was in her class, but just didn't care to remember her name.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" The red haired girl brought her hands to her left braided pigtail, undoing it before re-doing it.

"You mean prison?" Mabel corrected.

The girl snorted, "Yeah. It's so boring," I took a lot of sick days so I have to be here."

 _So that's why she seemed so unfamiliar,_ Mabel thought to herself. "Good thing I'm not going." Mabel boasted. The ginger widened her eyes at her, "Woah, seriously? You're so lucky!"

"You can join me if you want," Mabel gestured to the other sink, "There's room for one more! Just bring in your backpack and we can have a blast!"

The ginger clutched her crotch, breaking a sweat, "Aw I can't today the teacher already saw me come in. I will tomorrow, and I'll bring snacks and my iPad for Netflix, and my Nintendo."

Mabel clapped her hands with excitement, "YES! I'll bring friendship bracelet kits, and Waddles!"

The girl raised an eyebrow at her. "My pig," Mabel clarified.

"Stuffed?"

"Nope."

The red head girl was now bouncing, biting her lower lip. Mabel snapped her fingers, "Oh right, sorry, you can use the bathroom now!"

"T-T-Thanks." The girl smashed through the door. "What's your name again?"

"It's Mabel!"

"I'm Alison."

"Great!" Mabel punched her fist up in the air, "DITCHING BUDDIES FOR LIFE!"

When the day ended, Mabel walked herself home, not caring whether her dad was there with his unnecessary car.

"I'm home!" Mabel greeted her mother.

Mrs. Pines smiled at her, "Hi Mabel, how was it today!"

"Great! We covered a little bit of math first, I got the first couple problems wrong but then I got the hang of it. I sat next to Jamie when we had lunch, she had peanut butter and celery even though this is a peanut free school. I even raised my hand during the second half of the day. We're going to start a new project tomorrow. Mabel spoke each word quickly. She knew that the key to being a good liar was making things very specific. If it's too vague, people will know she's lying.

"That's great." Mrs. Pines kissed her daughter on the forehead, "Hey, no sweater today?"

Mabel looked down at her black tee shirt, gasping, "OH MY GOD I LOOK LIKE A FREAK! HOW COULD I GO OUT LIKE THIS?!"

For the next couple of days Mabel and Alison hung out in the bathroom. Mabel wore a pink scratch and sniff poodle sweater and brought enough snacks to feed an entire country. Alison brought her tablet so they could watch gooey vampire movies, and they giggled all day long.

Dad was right, Mabel grinned, Summer School IS better than normal school.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Are you guys wondering what's going to happen next? Me too! It's been so long, my storyboard passed it's three months limit. I'm just as excited as you!_**


	5. Which Is More Important?

**_I'm so sorry you guys. I always complain about fanfictions not being updated enough, and here I am doing the same thing. I think this chapter will be shorter. Guess what I own? Seriously, guess! (I'll give you a hint, it's not Gravity Falls)_**

 ** _There will be errors cause I noticed that no matter how many times I proofread there's always the one that gets away! I read and write quickly because I get excited, but sometimes that allows spelling mistakes that make you cringe to escape. I don't usually proof read these authors notes cause I do them last, maybe there's a mistake in these two paragraphs :O_**

 ** _:D_**

* * *

 _AND YOU'RE WATCHING, DUCK-TECTIVE!_ The television screamed.

Dipper Pines grabbed a handful of popcorn, spilling a good portion of it on his lap. Every summer the boy would wake up at six in the morning to take up the television, before Gravity Falls was a tradition, of course. Did it count as a tradition when you can't even go the next summer? Dipper groaned, he didn't want to think about the negatives at the moment. He was first to claim the TV and won't be budging til noon. First dibs was the rule in this household, no matter what!

Then maybe he could go swimming at the lake. The normal, not possessed, not monster infested, not haunted, boring lake...

Dipper suddenly had a bad taste in his mouth at the thought, and stuck another handful of popcorn in his mouth. He usually did this kind of stuff with Mabel, but things were tricky with the two.

He knew it was risky, it was almost seven and his muted sister would be coming down stairs to get ready for summer school any minute now. Dipper was able to stay in his room and wait for her to leave previously, but not today. So what if there was tension between the two? A Ducktective marathon was on and he was not going to let anyone ruin that.

The answering machine beeped.

"Uggggh." Dipper groaned as the beeping overlapped the theme song. "Shut up!" The machine blinked, it was placed right on the coffee table, nearly touching Dipper's bare feet, which made it impossible to ignore.

 _"Hello, I am Mabel's summer school teacher._ " An old static voice spoke softly through the system.

Mabel Pines walked down the stairs in her usual style, a loud homemade sweater and a skirt. This sweater was egg-shell white on the top, with purple and pink stripes near the bottom. It was new. Mabel occasionally stress-knits after dark.

 _"Your daughter hasn't been attending this program since it started in the beginning of the week,"_

Mabel froze in place, squeezing her eyes shut. _Busted_ was the first thing on her mind when she heard those words. She felt like she was going to throw up in her mouth. Dipper raised her eyebrows at the answering machine.

 _"If she doesn't attend, she will not get credit and may have to repeat the grade. I hope you understand this. I anticipate seeing her this morning. Have a nice summer."_ Mabel pulled off her headband and threw it, aiming at the answering machine She missed by a great distance. It would have been too late anyways.

The machine beeped again. Dipper slowly turned to his red-faced sister.

Mabel stood still at the bottom of the staircase, waiting for the tears to commence. As the silence stretched longer, she finally had the guts to say the first words. "You weren't supposed to-"

"Mabel, what do you think you're _doing?_ "

Mabel almost gasped, this was the first time Dipper spoke to her in what felt like forever. "You screwed up with that stupid paper, costing us Gravity Falls! That was bad enough, but that wasn't enough for you, was it? Now you refuse to show up! What have you been doing out of the house all day, then?"

"Bathroom parties with my new friend Alison!" She answered defensively, "We were technically at school, but-"

"But what? Why can't you just cooperate instead of making things worse?"

"Because-"

Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose. This was ridiculous, she was ridiculous! He knew it wasn't his problem anymore, that anything else she did will be on her. She already took away his summer, what more could she do? Still, Dipper felt responsible enough to at least give her advice. Mabel had caused so much mayhem, and she didn't even acknowledge it. She tried to ignore summer school, her **_punishment_**. Dipper thought her sister should know better than to ignore the issues. Then Dipper remembered he tried to ignore her...

"Taking responsibility is important," he said, softer. Dipper looked down at the answering machine, as if looking straight at his sister was too difficult.

Mabel bit the inside of her cheek, "So is forgiveness, Dipper." She rolled her eyes, _of course Dipper doesn't think he had any flaws_ , she thought. But Dipper was was thinking the exact same thing about her.

"But which is more _important?_ " Dipper finally looked her in the eye, and Mabel couldn't tell if he was testing her or being sincere in his question.

Mabel balled her fists inside her sweater, her brain frantically looking for a witty response. This was the first time Dipper talked to her and days, and she couldn't tell if this was an argument or a truce.

Mabel wished she knew everything. She wished she could read people and know exactly what to say. She was the social butterfly of the family, Mabel always knew what to say. But not this time. This was her own twin brother and she didn't even know how to make him get over this.

"I'm leaving." Mabel snatched her backpack off the floor and stormed out of the room, her face heating up as she felt Dipper's eyes follow her as she left the house. She ran to school without stopping for a breath.

She attended summer school for the first time.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Ewwww that chap was shorter than I thought it would be! They aren't there yet, but the twins are finally heading on the right track. They both have flaws and are both trying their best to ignore them, only touching on it briefly. I smell partial credit! Thanks for your reviews! I really appreciate having someone actually looking forward to chapter updates, it's really exciting. I'll try to update more! I get stumped easily so suggestions could be helpful to help me draft an idea.**_

 ** _You look really good today! Have a good weekend_**


	6. Patience

**I don't know if there's anyone still reading, and I don't blame you cause I haven't updated in 666 years, but if you're here HI! The last chapter was short, buuuuuuut whenever I have a short chapters, I make up for it in a longer one! I've been eager to update, and I've finally got the time! Before I begin, I know that most people understand my story, but there are still a few people that think I'm being way too hard on Mabel and that I'm making Dipper heartless or whatever. Yes, Dipper is usually a forgiving person but when you've been looking forward to something for every second of every year and at the last minute it falls at the hands of someone else, it's hard to off the bat be like "I forgive you :D" grudges aren't good to have but having them is _human._ And I _like_ Mabel, everyone makes mistakes, but she doesn't completely understand what she's done wrong yet. Again, human. And like I said most of y'all get it, but still one or two people are a bit confused. So that's a clear up.**

 **There will be typos, I promise (I suck at proof-reading)**

* * *

Dipper was spending more of his summer alone than he usually did. On normal occasions, he and his sister were glued to each other when it came to summer vacations, it was their favorite time of the entire year. But with her at summer school all day, Dipper took the time to try and find ways to entertain himself. Dipper had already gone to the pool, went to the movies, and climbed a tree today. What more was there to do?

Laying on his bed, he opened his parents' laptop and looked up the weather in Gravity Falls. He looked up pictures of Gravity Falls. He looked up pictures of goats that resembled Gompers. He looked up dirt that reminded him of the dirt in gravity falls.

Okay, _maybe_ he was torturing himself.

Dipper looked at the edge of the screen, the clock read 4:00pm. Mabel was going to be home any minute. Dipper figured he should leave before she arrived, but since he was wearing nothing but an orange tee-shirt, shorts, and socks covered in mud and dirt from falling off a tree, he really didn't feel like it.

Dipper hated confrontation, whenever he got into a fight with someone at school he'd go out of his way to hide from them, in lockers, in the library, wherever. But, while he hated to admit it, he almost _wanted_ to see Mabel. He hoped she actually went to summer school and didn't ditch. He wanted things to be okay with them, but he didn't want to be the one that apologizes first. He always apologized, even when he wasn't wrong. But he still felt this was too much so just forgive off the bat. He clicked on another picture of a goat that looked like Gompers and sighed deeply.

Dipper pulled out a pair of chewed up headphones (courtesy of Waddles) and put on the playlist of his favorite band, _'Bad First Impressions.'_ He turned it up at full volume. While it made his ears throb, he hoped it would distract him from all the drama.

He bobbed his head to their first three albums, deep diving into the internet when his ear buds fell off due to bobbing his head too hard. The head phones fell onto the floor. Dipper rolled his eyes, it totally threw him off his grove. Dipper turned his head to pick them up when he saw his sister on the bed across from him. She was leaned against the edge of her bed, staring at Dipper as if she was waiting this entire time for him to look back at her. He wondered how long she was staring, he hadn't even heard her come in.

Mabel took a crumbled up piece of paper held together by tape out of the front pouch of her sweater, having to stretch to reach the bed parallel to her own.

"You got a letter," She explained, taking Dipper's look back as permission to speak, "I tore it up and crumbled it with frustration when I first read it, but I felt bad and fixed it up. So here!"

Dipper took the letter, reading it over.

 _'Dear Dipper,_

 _Greetings! We have returned from our trip across the seas to eagerly welcome you to_

 _Gravity Falls! But since you will not be attending, by the time you obtain this letter_

 _Stanley and I will be back to the seas.'_

Dipper's heart sunk, so much for his slim faith in getting to go to Gravity Falls after all this summer.

 _'It's a shame you two aren't coming, if you had came we might've taken you on one_

 _of_ _our adventures on the 'Stan-O-War!' If you thought Gravity Falls was filled with_

 _weirdness, you should see what's out there in the seven seas. You would've marveled_

 _over all the miraculous things we've discovered.'_

All the anger Dipper thought had evaporated just began raining down on him once again.

 _'I just told Stan I was writing a letter back to you guys, and he told me to tell_

 _you_ _that_ _you're missing out! He's not wrong, you will regret not being able to visit us_

 _this summer. We wish you and your sister glee and appreciate you writing to us._

 _~Ford'_

 _'PS: I don't know what you meant by "I'm being held down by a dumbbell underwater,_

 _and every_ _time I_ _try to swim upwards it just keeps dragging me down" in you last letter._

 _I never_ _understood poetry.'_

Dipper snapped his head back at Mabel, shooting her a glare, "Well, that's just _great_ " he snapped. Mabel put her hands up in the air, as if surrendering, "I know, I know! I knew that reading that letter would make you more angry at me. Ford isn't very good at his people skills, all the letter really did was make you miss Gravity Falls more. That's why I tried to ruin it! But I _did_ end up giving it to you."

Dipper said nothing, his glare thickening.

Mabel stood up, "I should be mad too! You compared me to a dumbbell holding you back. Emphasis on the _DUMB_?"

Dipper felt guilty about that part, it wasn't fair to say she was holding him down. He huffed, throwing the mutilated letter onto the ground and picking up his headphones.

Mabel rolled her eyes, enough was enough. It was time to settle things. She knew neither of them wanted to admit they were wrong, she knew there was only one thing to do.

"Okay, Dipper I know you're still upset, but the angst between us has gone on for FAR too long. I hate to say it, but Dipper Pines, I'm taking you to court!"

Dipper scoffed, "Are you kidding me?"

"Last time in Gr-" Mabel paused, she didn't want to say the name of the trip she cost them going, "Last summer we had a court case to sort out our issues in Bill's prison. We're going to do that again."

"How?"

A small smile spread across Mabel's face, "Leave that to Mabel."

* * *

A chubby pig by the name of Waddles sat on top of a stool placed in the center of the room, a cardboard box right next to him. A collection of various stuffed animals and dolls flanked Dipper. He sat in on a faded pink bean-bag decorated with stickers, staring at Mabel.

Mabel paced around the middle of room, "I will be defending myself," she announced, "Dipper will do the same."

Dipper sunk deeper into the bean bag, visualizing the things he'd rather be doing with his time. Mabel began, "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. We're here because I'm tired of Dipper being a butthead."

"Objection!"

"Hush! Anyways, I _struggle_ in school. It's not my strongest skill, although I have many talents. I didn't do something, and it cost both of us Gravity Falls. Now he won't forgive me, no matter what! He even had the nerve to mute me!" Mabel put her sweater over her mouth and made a gasping noise, making it seem as if the stuffed animals were shocked at the news, "He's planning on ignoring my for the entire summer, apparently. I feel he is being completely stuck up. AND HE CALLED ME A DUMBBELL, LIKE WHAT THE HECK?"

"Seriously? This is so bias!" Dipper turned to the stuffed manatee sitting next to him, "Tell me this isn't bias!" he yelled at it. The manatee gave no response, because it was a stuffed manatee that couldn't talk.

Ignoring Dipper, Mabel continued. "Fine, _maybeeee_ I'm not always right about everything like I thought I was," Mabel gestured to the court, "but are YOU right about everything? Huh? HUH?!" Mabel raised her sweater to her mouth once again, and the stuffed animals murmured among themselves.

"Can I SAY something?" Dipper rose from his bean bag. Waddles gave him an angry snort, but Mabel nodded, "Whatever."

Dipper took Mabel's spot in front of their, erm, audience, and Mabel sat in the bean bag.

"I don't hate Mabel," Dipper started his stance on a positive note not to upset the...stuffed animals in Mabel's room, "But there are SOME instances where Mabel just doesn't cooperate the way she should. She refused to at least _try_ in school, not thinking about the outcomes. And it cost both of us so much. I admit, I shouldn't have blown up at her when I first heard the news, but Gravity Falls was ALL I've been looking forwards to every single moment since I first stepped on that bus. Now it's all gone, and she expects me not to be mad? Of course I'm mad! I'm furious! I think I should be allowed to be mad. Just because I'm more angry than usual doesn't mean I'm being out of character, why should I be expected to do whatever she wants?"

"Give me a break, Dipper! School work doesn't come as easy for me like it does for you. It's so much harder for my brain to look at something for a long time and comprehend it. It makes me feel like I'm buffering. But I hate the way you've been treating me and I hate the way I'm being ignored."

Dipper threw his hands up in the air, "You are being ridiculous!"

Mabel almost had to laugh at this one, "I have NEVER been this mad at you, not once! We haven't talked in a really long time, Dipper. You're supposed to be the _mature_ one. But I guess you can't be." Mabel felt her cheeks heat up. While she knew what she was saying was crude, it felt so refreshing to just YELL! To take all her anger out in a scream, taking weight off her shoulders.

"Why? Why do I always have to be the mature one? I've always been the mature one, you seem to think that because I'm mature, it gives you an excuse to be immature!" Dipper put his hands on his hips, practically screaming.

As the court case progressed, things got less and less productive. The quarreling got louder and louder until the twins could hardly decipher what the other was saying. The jury was very upset and started screaming too until the entire room was just filled with noise. Dipper almost got into a fist fight with a barbie, and Waddles oinked angrily at everyone.

Mabel collapsed in her bean bag with defeat, this was WAY less productive than she hoped it would be. She knew they were both being major poopheads, but the question they were supposed to be solving was who the BIGGEST poophead was. And it was going nowhere.

She may not be the first to admit it, but she had given Dipper the cold shoulder multiple times, outnumbering Dipper by a landslide. But that was HER. Dipper was supposed to always forgive her. Why was he being so stubborn?

Stuck on the thought, she began to think about all the times Dipper sacrificed something for her. Mabel frowned, she did make fun of him a lot, despite all he's done for her.

It reminded her of the time she tried to force a neighborhood cutie to go out with her for ice cream. No matter how much she tried to get him to like her, he just pushed her away more and more. Mabel looked up at his brother, he was still mid-sentence in his argument, but suddenly surrounded by all this noise Mabel felt the world go silent.

Dipper's mouth was still moving, waving his arms around as his face became flushed. But she couldn't hear anything, nothing but her thoughts. Was it going to be like this for the rest of the summer? Ignoring each other, and fighting?

She still didn't agree with Dipper's stance, not one bit. However, she realized that if she wanted any progress, she had to play the game and roll with the punches. Although it killed her, she had to be...less stubborn.

"Dipper," Mabel rose from the bean bag, "I understand that I can be a bit of a pest."

Dipper paused his yelling at a troll doll, eyeing his sister with curiosity.

Her head was bent to face her shoes, her arms tied behind her back. "And it's true, sometimes I do things a little selfishly. And you always forgive me, even when I don't deserve it. And I always saw that as a mandatory thing, but it's actually a privilege. A privilege I took advantage of our entire lives."

Mabel tilted her head upwards, "I realize now, that _you_ don't owe me _anything_. I shouldn't be forcing you to forgive me. I think you _should_ , but me forcing you will just make you want to do it less. Like, when you try to force Waddles to play dress up, and he runs away and chews up all your clothes. And, I do feel bad about it."

Dipper and Mabel's eyes locked together, both waiting for the other to say something.

Mabel rubbed the back of her neck, bashfully.

"I know," Dipper assured, nodding, "Thank you, for, um, understanding."

Mabel perked up, waiting for Dipper to instantly apologize and forgive her. But Dipper, without saying another word, walked back to his bed and plugged his head phones back in, listening to some nerd band.

Mabel deflated, her hopes of this all being easily resolved shattered. While there was some progress, Dipper was still being standoffish. Mabel sighed, _guess he needed more time than I thought._

Mabel scooped up her pet pig and swung open their bedroom door, exiting with a sharp exhale. She knew it would be torture, but Mabel supposed there was nothing left to do but wait. If only he'd hurry up!

* * *

 **AN: THANKS FOR READING! THIS CHAPTER WAS CALLED PATIENCE, BECAUSE YOU HAD TO BE PATIENT FOR IT TO UPDATE! GET IT BECAUSE I SUCK AT UPDATING CONSISTENTLY? HAHAHAHAHAHAAA okay I'm done.**

 **Also, none of the stuffed animals could talk, a Barbie didn't actually provoke a fight with Dipper. Things just seem crazier in the Pine Twin's minds. Also the Barbie was innocent, Dipper totally threw the first punch.**

 **I keep almost updating and then I'm like "WAIT I HAVE TO ADD A STUPID JOKE TO THE ENDING AUTHOR'S NOTE!"**

 **Okay NOW I'm done.**


	7. Lifeboat

**Hey guys! I know two weeks is still pathetic, but what's _more_ pathetic is this is faster than I usually update this story *high fives myself* Sorry about my lack of updates, I kinda wrote myself into a hole. I'm writing a lot of stories at a time, some are Chapter Two's of stories I thought would be oneshots, others are multi-chapters that people are expecting so I'm juggling. I'm thinking this will be the last chapter, I left it on a pretty good ending point. It's probably a good idea that I end it so that it doesn't stretch on excessively and to take less pressure off me having to keep up with updating stuff. Thank you guys so much for reading!**

 **Alsoooo in the second Chapter, I said the twins had bunk beds in their room, and then in this chapter I said their beds were across from each other. That's just a 'my bad' moment, pretend that Dipper karate chopped the top bunk from the bottom bunk and threw it across the room in a fit of rage.**

 **There will be typos, I promise.**

 **Love you guys :D**

* * *

"HOME ALONE! HOME ALONE!" Mabel chanted to herself, fist pumping in the air.

She had adapted well to talking to herself, with Dipper still being slightly standoffish. Two weeks had passed since the Pines twins' successful...kinda successful...sorta successful court case? Sorta. Maybe. Mabel couldn't decide. There was some progress, she supposed. Progress was better than _nothing_.

It was a cool Sunday evening, the clouds highlighted with orange rays from the setting sun. Mabel's parents had gone out to dinner, she had overheard them chattering excitedly over 'finally getting away from these kids.'

On the usual occasion, when left alone Mabel would put her mom's makeup on her pig, and then on herself (probably not the best order to do that in.) But as she wandered into the living room to find the eyelash glue, she paused at the sight of Dipper. He was dead asleep on the couch, his head buried against the arm rest as his body sank deeper and deeper into the cushions.

A blue navy blanket her mother had knitted was tossed aside onto the floor, right in front of the couch. Mabel, doing her best to stay silent, walked up to her brother and placed the blanket upon him. Mabel knew it was creepy, but she couldn't help but stare. They hadn't spoken much during the past two weeks, but the tension had obviously decreased between the two.

Still, she just wanted things to be cool again between them. She grew tedious of the seed of guilt in her stomach growing and growing inside of her. Mabel was _tired_ of fighting with Dipper, and tired of summer being a bust.

The thought of Dipper sticking to her like a leech, she was quickly reminded of the summer school homework she had to do.

"Ewwwww," was Mabel's instinct reaction. But with the whole Dipper fiasco, she'd probably seem more mature in his eyes if she completed her stupid poop head work.

Mabel released an animal-like groan at the top of her lungs, surprisingly not waking Dipper. Time to get to work.

* * *

For the first time since he'd gotten over the Weirdmageddon trauma, Dipper had a vivid dream.

 _Dipper found himself on an enlarged pirate ship the size of a skyscraper, standing tall and proud as he guided it through the seven seas. The hat Wendy gave him brushed against the smoky-colored clouds. Monstrous ocean waves slapped against the sides of his boat, as if trying to provoke it. Dipper scoffed at the attempts, his ship was indestructible. Dipper's tall, well constructed boat slid effortlessly against the waves of the infinite black ocean._

 _The cold wind numbed his face, turning his cheeks pink, but the cold failed to distract him from steering his boat. Somehow, it seemed he was nearly dodging waves like it was a sport. Turning his head to glance at the ocean, in the far distance he noticed the most pathetic excuse for a boat he'd ever seen._

 _A small rickety life boat rocked in the infinite black ocean, sinking lower and lower into the water after each passing wave. A passenger was seated on the demolished boat. Dipper could only see the figure's back, but a loud neon yellow sweater that stood out against her murky surroundings revealed to Dipper that it was his sister._

 _While it looked no larger than a bug from Dipper's distance, he could still vaguely shape out her lifeboat destructing. The small outline of his twin sat idly, unresponsive to her world falling into shambles. White capped waves roared around her, catapulting themselves over the tiniest lifeboat and covering it like a blanket._

 _Dipper watched, but made sure to keep his ship a good distance away. The water was calmer and obedient around his ship, there was no need to get into a mess._

 _He could see the microscopic figure get tossed around by the dark waves, the pieces of her boat floating away from her as if to say 'you're on your own.' The waves reached to the heavens, towering over an insect sized Mabel, taking turns smashing down on her until she no longer came up for air._

* * *

The buzzing of the television shifted him out of his slumber. He was on their living room couch, covered in navy blue fuzzy blankets his mother had crocheted for him. The room was dimly lit, the efforts of an antique lamp that sat next to the couch and the television projecting cartoons failing to keep the room bright. Still half awake, his squinty-eyed gaze shifted towards Mabel. Her body was sprawled upon the floor directly in front of the house, her limbs pointing in all different directions like a starfish. Acting as a pillow was a half completed homework assignment. From what Dipper could see on the parts that weren't covered by her hair and face, the assignment seemed to be centered around Physics.

 _How many classes did she fail?_ He thought.

And, all the crayon-written answers were incorrect. Dipper turned his head away, trying to ignore her. Still, the desire to correct her mistakes overflowed his body to the top. He tried to play with his hands, avert his eyes and focus on the television, but the more he attempted to ignore it the more it irked him until he finally had to blurt out-

"All your answers are wrong."

Mabel titled her head upwards, the rest of her body still limp on the ground, almost taken aback he was speaking to her.

"Oh?" She pushed herself upwards, her head resting on her hands, "I was going to check it over. I'm a little confused," She admitted, "This was never my strong point at school. Nothing was. I worked forever and I'm not even half way done. Where do the protons move to again?"

Dipper tossed his mother's blanket off him, revealing a pair of blue flannel pajama pants. He lowered himself from the couch, taking a seat onto the floor next to his sister.

"Protons don't move, _electrons move_ , making your first three answers wrong," Dipper looked at his sister, expecting her to groan and call him a nerd like she always did.

Instead she rose from laying down, sitting in a position she liked to call _'criss-cross-applesauce.'_ She stuck out her lip in concentration, and Dipper could see the gears in her head spinning. Their knees brushed against each other as she pointed to the fourth problem, "So right here. That positively charged paper clip moving towards that thingy with the electrons and protons inside. The electrons will move towards the paper clip."

"Yeah, because opposites attract."

Mabel looked at him, a small smirk on her face. She knew Dipper had a harder time expressing his feelings than most people, but there were moments where she could pick out the subtle ways he'd reach out to her. Mabel scribbled out her answers in pink crayon, correcting them as she went along. Dipper watched on in awe, finding that he wasn't as needed as he thought he would be. Mabel flew through the entire thing, Dipper paying attention to her perked her up a little bit like a dog hearing the word 'walk.'

Mabel beamed at her work, her brain tingling. Mabel took it as an effect of all the hard work she's done.  
"Y'know, when you pay attention, Physics is pretty fascinating. Don't you think?" Mabel tossed Dipper an opportunity to have an in-depth conversation with her. His lack of response made Mabel go back to feeling guilty and anxious.

Dipper brought his hands onto the ground, about to pull himself upwards to leave, when Mabel grabbed him by the wrist.

"Dipper, I still want you to have a good summer. I know you wanted Gravity Falls, and I feel awful about it, but it kills me to see you so unhappy. We can make something work!"

Mabel loosened the grasp on Dipper's arm. _You can't force him,_ she reminded herself.

Dipper lowered himself, leaving Mabel touched he'd stick around.

Finally, he spoke, "Maybe...I should come to understand that not every summer is going to reach my expectations." Dipper's eyes studied his knees, his cheeks a bright shade of pink.

Mabel smiled at him, and rose to her knees. She shifted her body so it was facing Dipper's profile, "Thank you for helping me. I know you-"

"I don't know if I completely forgive you, yet," Dipper interrupted, "But I helped you because I decided that I _do_ want you to go to high school with me."

Mabel looked at her brother, her eyes shining with amazement. Two weeks ago, Mabel would've thrown a fit and complained that he was still being stubborn and that being less mad doesn't count unless he was completely over it. Now, Mabel was internally doing back flips with joy. He was helping her, and he admitted to wanting her in his life! Her insides warming up, she vowed never to take advantage of Dipper's affection for her again, she didn't know how well she had it until she lost it for being careless.

And she never wanted to feel that way every again.

Mabel leaned into her brother, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a sideways embrace as she rested her chin upon his scruffy brown hair.

"Thank you."

* * *

 _Mabel clawed the air, the blistering cold water entering her lungs as she bobbed up and down over the persistent waves. The water numbed her skin, freezing her over as another tidal wave dived onto her. She tried to scream, but could no longer escape the cage the water was acting as. The ocean roared in her ear, laughing at her and her attempts to breathe. Her lungs were full of water and on fire, sending a wave of panic through her body. The ocean below her doubled the size of the skies, yet there was nowhere to hide. She could no longer tell if she was above or below the raging black ocean's torture blanket. Her lifeboat was mutilated, a victim to the storms. And she was next._

 _She continued to claw the air, kicking her legs rapidly when she felt a firm hand pulled her upwards._

 _Her rescuer hauled her out of the water, the waves backing off once he entered the scene. Mabel hacked, her entire body shaking. She embraced her rescuer, placing her entire trust on him as she felt herself escape the treacherous waters._

 _"Are you okay?"_

 _Mabel slowly opened her eyes, finding herself on an impressively built boat with her brother in front of her, his eyes scrunched with concern._

 _"Dipper..." Mabel croaked, her throat not fully recovered from the salt water she had digested. She burst into tears, almost falling over if it weren't for Dipper catching her._

 _He cradled her in his arms, "It's okay Mabel, I'm here. I'm here."_

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Also did anyone ever realize that the title 'Summer Dreams Ripped at the Scenes' was a Grease reference? Get it, cause DIPPER AND MABEL'S SUMMER DREAMS WERE RIPPED AT THE SEAMS? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA**

 **Anyways, thank you guys so much for reading my story, and for making this the most reviewed story on my page. This was so much fun to write about and I'm so thankful people actually read it! I hope you enjoyed. I got the idea for Mabel's lifeboat loosely from the song 'Lifeboat' on the 'Heathers' soundtrack (you should totally listen to it dudeee.) I experimented with my writing and story telling style in this chapter, hope the whole boat metaphors weren't too weird for you guys lol.**

 **Most of you guys were on Dipper's side, haha. Understandable, but I think there were a few Mabel supporters out there too. But EVERYONEEEE wanted a happy ending for the two. I loved seeing everyone's different opinions on the sides, it was so entertaining. I didn't want my ending to be exactly like:**

 **Mabel: Boi do u forgive me?**

 **Dipper: YASSSSSSS *wipes tears from eyes as he runs towards Mabel in slow motion on the beach with a giant orange sun setting behind him for an embrace and a spin as victorious music plays in the background***

 **So I tried to end the twins on a good note, but not on an ALL IS REPAIRED kind, y'know. Cause things take time**

 **You guys are aMmAZinGGGGGGG!**


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